Uncategorized – Max Clark

The lithium dilemma: How to power the green revolution without ruining the planet

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Lithium is a vital ingredient for the batteries that run electric vehicles and store renewable energy. As the world shifts away from fossil fuels, the demand for lithium is soaring. But extracting and processing the metal comes at a high environmental and social cost, especially in South America’s Lithium Triangle, where most of the world’s …

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Industrial Air Pollution has a Serious Impact on Human Health

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Air pollution is one of the major environmental challenges of our time, affecting millions of people around the world. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), air pollution is responsible for an estimated 7 million premature deaths every year, mainly due to exposure to fine particles that penetrate deep into the lungs and cardiovascular system. …

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How Shipping Affects Global Warming and Points to Geoengineering Solutions

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Global warming is the increase in the average temperature of the Earth’s surface and atmosphere due to the accumulation of greenhouse gases, such as carbon dioxide, methane, and nitrous oxide, in the air. These gases trap heat and prevent it from escaping to space, causing the planet to warm up. Human activities, especially the burning …

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Planting trees to store carbon has its limits

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Planting trees to offset carbon emissions is seen as one of many strategies to deal with rising CO2 levels in the atmosphere. This ranges from a small scale, where members of the public are encouraged to plant trees, to well organised initiatives planting millions of trees. There has also been a growth in standards for …

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Air pollution shown to affect crop yields

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Crop production and food security go hand in hand. Farmers and researchers have long focussed on how to improve crop production, looking for gains to be made from better soil preparation, fertilizers, irrigation, pest control and selecting more productive cultivars. However, there are factors outside of their control, such as weather and air pollution. Air …

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Could we run out of sand?

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Sand can be found everywhere there is land. For anyone who has walked on a beach or visited a desert, the supply of sand seems endless. Sand can also be found at the bottom of rivers, lakes and oceans. Sand comes from rocks eroded by weathering and mechanical abrasion and the sand we see has …

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Environmental news links:

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Zambian court issues interdict stopping land clearance for commercial agriculture next to Kasanka National Park – potential risk to millions of migrating fruit bats. FAO warns fishmeal and fish oil industry in West and Central Africa threatens food security by competing directly with the poorest consumers. One Ocean Summit in France. Thirty heads of state …

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Carbon capture by converting CO2 to solid carbon – a new method

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Researchers in Australia have developed a new way to capture CO2 and convert it to solid carbon. The process has been developed in the laboratory and the next step will be to test it with a small prototype. It has the potential to provide a novel way to capture and store CO2. Current approaches to …

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Non-target pesticide impact on human health and development.

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Charles Taylor, a PhD candidate at Columbia University, used long term data on pesticide use in apple orchards corresponding to the emergence of cicadas in 13 and 17 year cycles in the eastern United States to identify off-farm impacts. His study reports adverse effects on infant mortality and health, and poorer school outcomes.

New method to produce cement with huge reduction in CO2 emissions

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Concrete is an incredibly useful and versatile material. It is made from sand, gravel, water and cement, and can be cast into different shapes, becoming very hard as it sets. It is one of the most commonly used substances in the construction industry. Unfortunately, cement production is a significant contributor to greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. …

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